Missing
by ShiverMeFunzies
Summary: Nigel is acting strange but Sydney can't figure out what has happened. Will the truth change her life forever?


AN- I'm sorry about all the hideous typos in the last fic. I tried to proofread this one as much as I could. I'm still new at this so I hope its not too disappointing. Please Review.

Missing

Something was just plain missing in the Ancient Studies department of Trinity University. Sydney could not get rid of that feeling at the pit of her stomach. She knew that Claudia was feeling it too, even though she would never admit it openly, but it was clear that she felt it none the less. The cause of this emptiness was the vacant desk outside of Sydney's office that belonged to her assistant, Nigel Bailey. It had been almost three weeks since Nigel had gone to London to do some research on Celtic mythology for his Master's thesis.

Sydney was glad that her assistant had finally decided to take a few weeks off after working non-stop for the past three years. The last few hunts had been particularly stressful for both of them. It was even harder for Nigel because after each hunt, he had to deal with mounds of assignments, essays, lectures, tutorials and cranky students, demanding higher grades. Nigel had seemed ready to drop on his feet near the end, but had continued to insist on sticking around and helping Sydney in preparation for the summer term. It was only when she reminded him of his thesis deadline looming close, that he decided on going and doing some detailed research for his paper. Even she had needed a break from relic hunting for a few weeks. How however, after spending so much time together and then suddenly apart, Sydney was really beginning to feel restless without her best friend and partner. She had not even accepted any hunts ever since his departure. Of course she had reasoned with herself that it was because of all the work that needed to be done back at the University. But in truth, that had never stopped her before. She just couldn't get herself to go without Nigel.

Trying to push his thoughts out of her mind, Sydney tried to concentrate on the work at hand. Just as she was about to begin, Claudia burst into the office.

"Syd! Did Nigel call yet?"

"Not yet. But he wills soon I'm sure."

"It's been two weeks since he called. Why isn't he coming back?"

"Why Claudia, do you miss him?" Sydney asked, raising brows from under her glasses, clearly looking for an opening to tease her perky secretary.

"What? Don't be silly. I gave Nigel a shopping list and I want my stuff, like, yesterday!" It was obvious that Claudia was flustered by the idea of missing the young man. Her sibling rivalry with him would not allow her to admit attachment.

"Sure" Sydney shrugged "whatever you say"

"Anyway, why is he taking so long? Did he tell you when he was coming back when he called the last time?"

"He did say he was coming back soon but he never gave me a date. He seemed like he was busy at the time. But don't worry; he'll be back soon enough."

"Yea I guess. Not that it matters or anything" Said Claudia, her slouched shoulders contradicting her statement. As she left the office to return to her desk.

Sydney leaned back on her chair, watching her secretary leave. There was a strange feeling nagging her at the back of her mind. Something was wrong with Nigel, the last time they had spoken. She tried to recall what had happened.

"_Syd?"_

"_Nigel! How's the vacation going?" _

"_Uh good" Sydney frowned at the receiver, as if accusing the phone for the way it made her friend sound. Nigel's voice seemed thin and frail and his assurance of things going well sounded half hearted. _

"_Nige? You ok? _

"_Yea yea, everything's fine." In the back ground Sydney could hear a voice protesting but she could not make out the words. Then she heard Nigel shush the intruder. _

"_Whets going on?" Sydney asked, perplexed_

"_Oh it's…" His answer was cut short as someone else grabbed the receiver _

"_Sydney, its Preston. Listen, Nigel is…" again there was an interruption and then she heard a faint "Preston stop it!" With that Nigel came back on the phone. _

"_Sorry Syd, Preston is just being silly. I was just going to say, everything is going really well, but I need a bit more time. I know I was only gong to come here for ten days, but I sort of am in the middle of something. Can I stay a bit longer? I promise I'll be back soon though" _

"_Yea don't worry about it. The semester doesn't start for another month and you've already given me everything I need for my notes so I'm ok." _

"_But what…" Nigel was interrupted once again, but this time by a fit of coughing. "Excuse me, what about the hunts?" He continued as the coughing spell abated. _

"_I haven't got anything planned for a while. And if there is, I'll be able to manage I'm sure. Are you sure you're ok though? You sound a bit off" _

"_Oh its just London weather, catching up with me. Anyway, I've got to go. You know, busy with research and all that. I'll call you soon." _

"_Ok see you" _

"_Bye Syd" With That Nigel hung up the phone. Sydney however sat staring at the receiver. The whole conversation seemed odd. Nigel was hiding something, that was for sure. But she had no idea what that was. She figured he was probably having issues with Preston. Their relationship had always been strained. Maybe he was trying to work things out with him and needed more time to do it. Whatever it was, she was sure she would hear about it once he returned. Nigel always confided in her when there was a problem. _

The sound of the phone ringing startled Sydney back into the present. Scrambling to the phone automatically, she fumbled with the receiver before finally putting it to hear ear.

"Sydney Fox speaking."

"Syd! It's so good to hear your voice."

"Nigel! Likewise! Where have you been? When are you coming back?" Sydney winced at the plea in her own voice. Since when had she become so desperate to have him around?

"Actually I was just calling to tell you that I'm coming back tomorrow."

"Oh that's great."

"Yea I'll drop by from the air port."

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No don't worry about it. I'll be fine"

"Ok, let me know if you change your mind."

"I will. I've got to go now. Tell Claudia I said hi."

"Will do. See you soon"

"Yup, Bye Syd"

Hanging up, Sydney felt a sudden excitement build up in the pit of her stomach. The flurry of butterflies made he belly ache. She didn't know what to make of this feeling, all she knew was that her best friend was coming back and just the thought made her light headed. Why was she so excited? It wasn't like they had never been apart before. But for some reason, these past few weeks had seemed like years of separation. Before this very moment, Sydney had never realized how much she depended on Nigel's constant support and steadying presence. She yearned for his reluctant and yet unquestioning support when she made quick and sometimes rash decision. She needed him to bring her coffee and make light conversation while marking papers until late at night. But most of all she need her best friend around her, so that she could feel comfortable enough to take of the mask of tough wonder woman and just be plain old Sydney Fox.

Now that he was coming back, she could finally start feeling whole again.

Next Day

"Nigel!" Claudia squeaked as Nigel walked into the Ancient Studies department with a travel bag flung on his shoulder.

"Hey Claudia!" Nigel replied, uncharacteristically reaching out and hugging the young blonde.

"See, I told you you'd miss me Nigel."

"Oh yes, I'm out of practice with tuning people out now."

"Hey!" Claudia squealed, hitting Nigel on the shoulder. "Did you bring me my stuff?" She asked, slightly bouncing on the balls of her feet.

'Uhh…no, I thought it'd be rather difficult to howl an entire closet full of clothes across the ocean. So I bought you this instead…" Said Nigel, as he pulled out a deck of antique tarot cards.

"Oh my God! Nigel, where did you find these? They're so rare! I've only ever heard about them. They must be at least three hundred years old!"

"Actually, they're a replica of the 16th Century Celtic tarot cards. Thought you'd appreciate them."

"Thanks Hunnybun!"

"Where's Sydney? And don't call me that!"

"Oh she just stepped out with a student. She'll be back any minute.

As if on queue, Sydney walked into the room.

"Syd!"

"Nigel. Welcome back!" Sydney cried, embracing her TA into a quick but fierce hug. As they separated, Sydney took a closer look at her friend. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight in the past few weeks.

"Preston didn't feed you much I see."

"Yes he's very dependable that way." Nigel replied sarcastically

"How did the research go?"

"All done, the thesis is ready for submission." He replied, sounding pleased with himself.

"That's good. Ready to get back to work yet. I just got a lead on finding the Ogmios's bow."

"The Celtic version of Hercules! I just did my paper on him."

"Yes, that's why I need you on this one, if you're ready."

"Syd, you never have to ask." With that, Nigel began to pull out all his research and settle down on the desk.

"Great. Claudia, book us two tickets to Ireland for tomorrow."

"Sure." Claudia squeaked.

With that Sydney began to make her way into her office. "Nige, come in here for a bit." Nigel scrambled into the office.

"What's up?"

"Actually I just wanted to ask you how the trip was."

"Oh you know…not bad. I got my work done, spent a bit of time with Preston. Bit too much if you ask me." Sydney smiled at that. Fully aware of how Preston got on Nigel's nerves at times.

"I was wondering about something..."Sydney started, reluctantly. It sounded odd even to her own ears, to be bringing something up that happened long enough ago to seem insignificant. However, it was bothering her and she wanted to get it out of her system. "What was that last call about, three weeks ago? What was Preston trying to say? And why did you seem so…off?"

Nigel seemed startled by this question and decidedly uncomfortable.

"Uh…I was slightly under the weather that day and we had a fight. And he was trying to irritate me by telling you about the fight." It seemed like a plausible explanation but for some reason Sydney wasn't convinced, but she didn't push any further.

"Well anyway, I'm just glad you're back. I was beginning to wonder if you needed more time away from relic hunting. You know, to relieve the pressure and all that."

"What? No Syd, where you go, I go."

"Great!"

---------------------------------------------

"Nigel?"

"Yes Claudia…what now…" Nigel responded, barely looking up from his work

"I was just doing your tarot reading. I'm getting sort of worried."

"Why?" Nigel asked, looking up, slightly panicked. **Did she know? **

"Your love life sucks!"

"Oh! Well I could have told you that Claudia." Nigel replied, easing back into his chair. **Thank God. What am I going to do? What if either of them finds out? It's going to ruin everything. I need to sort things out before they find out. It's only a matter of time. The next hunt will probably clue them in. God how I dread that moment, its going to be so painful, literally. Sydney is probably going to kill me for not telling her sooner. But I'm not ready yet. I can't believe how much I've missed her. I even missed Claudia! Seeing them both again has made things more complicated but I couldn't stay away. Especially not now. I need to be around them, just so I can feel better. I need more time, I need some normalcy. Oh god, I'm actually looking forward to this hunt. Its not a very wise thing to do, but relic hunting what I do, its what I am. Besides, Sydney said she needed me and I'm not going to back away from her now. I hope she'll forgive me when she finds out.** **But first…**

Nigel picked up the received of the phone next to him and dialed the number he had recently memorized.

"Preston, its Nigel." Claudia looked up from her Tarot reading, listening into he conversation without guilt.

"Yea, fine. Listen, I need you to go ahead with the work I left to you. I'm off to a hunt tomorrow and I'm not sure how things will be after that. So, maybe its time you took care of it." Claudia tried to make sense of what she was hearing. But it seemed to vague.

"No. I've made up my mind. No. Look it doesn't matter one way or another, now does it? Yes, I know Preston. Please try and understand, this is what I want." Claudia waited, as silence filled the office. Preston was still talking on the other line and Nigel was listening intently, and he seemed surprisingly sympathetic to the other man's obvious despair.

"Look. You're my brother, of course I do, and you are very important. That's why I'm asking you and no one else. Please! I'm begging you."

Again, silence filled the room for a few beats. "Listen, I'm going to whales tomorrow. How about, if all goes well, I stop by before I leave?" Claudia found this odd; Nigel had just left from London the night before. Why did Preston want to see Nigel so soon? And what did Nigel want Preston to do? As she sat there, contemplating all of this, she was startled to find Nigel standing in front of her. When did he finish talking?

"Claudia, I'm going to the library for a bit. Tell Syd when she comes back from her lecture. "

"Wait a minute. What was all that about?"

"What?"

"That…with Preston. I thought you two didn't get along."

"Oh, we don't. Not usually." Without any further elaboration Nigel walked out the door. Claudia frowned at his retreating back. Nigel was behaving strangely ever since he came back. Not only was he less verbally aggressive than unusual, he was also being vague about most things and was acting jumpy. She shrugged, maybe he's jetlagged. She was just glad he was back. Things just hadn't been the same without him. She loved him like a brother, which is probably why they fought so often anyway.

"Nigel hurry up!" Sydney shouted from then end of the cave. They had discovered the bow in an old cave near Wexford in Ireland, but had been followed by Alex Martins, One of Sydney's old foes. He had pulled a gun on both the relic hunters and was about to shoot Sydney, when Nigel shoved him backwards, causing him to loose his balance and fall to the ground. The rival had been so enraged; he was ready to kill Nigel then and there. However, with a swift kick, Nigel managed to knock the gun out of his hands. After that, Sydney took over, beating the man to unconsciousness. She had been surprised by Nigel's fearlessness throughout this hunt. Not once had he complained or whined about the possible dangers of the hunt and had also displayed uncharacteristic calm when Martins had pulled the gun out and pointed it in his direction. His quick reflexes had saved both their lives and he had also been able to grab the Okemos' Bow just before the caves began to crumble. Now, both relic hunters were running for their lives and Nigel was lagging behind.

"Coming….Syd." Nigel huffed, clutching the bow in one hand and his chest in the other. He was completely out of breath and was finding it hard to put one foot in front of the other. The dust and debris flying in all direction around him, was also making things difficult.

Sydney reached the edge of the cave, and waited a few moments for her best friend to catch up. To her dismay however, Nigel's was still in the thick of danger and seemed to be slowing down rather than speeding up. "Nigel, this whole place is falling apart, Come on." Just as the words left her mouth, her worst fear began to take shape as Nigel's knees buckled beneath him. Fear clutching every grain in her body, Sydney sprinted back into the cave, to Nigel.

As she reached his side, she could see that he was panting, unable to breathe but was still trying to get to his feet, Not having time to dwell on what was wrong with him, Sydney grabbed Nigel by the waist and howled him to his feet. "Lets go" She cried, pullng him into a fireman's carry and once again sprinting to safety. Just as they reached the exit, the entire cave fell to the ground like a pack of cards, leaving Nigel and Sydney an inch too far from death's door step.

Both relieved and exhausted, Sydney fell to the floor, taking Nigel down with her.

"You ok Nigel? What happened back there?"

"I'm sorry I think I inhaled a bit too much dust."

"That's bull Nigel; you've been through much worse. Not what's going on with you?"

"Nothing! Seriously. I lost my footing and couldn't breathe because of all the dust. Can we leave now?" He said, climbing to his feet with a little bit of difficulty. "I get the feeling Martins wasn't the only one looking for the relic. I thought I saw someone else following us too."

"Yea I saw that low life Mourice skulking around our things earlier. Its probably not the last time we'll see him on this trip. But don't try and change the subject…"

"Syd, I'm fine, now can we please concentrate on the work at hand?" He berated, getting slightly annoyed with Sydney's 'Mother hen mode'.

"Fine. But this is not over!"

"It never is" Said Nigel, with a half smile as they began to make their way back to the train station.

"So Why exactly are we here again?"

"I'm here to meet Preston, I'm not so sure about you."

"Where you go, I go remember?"

"'Surely not EVERYWHERE?"

"Whets the matter? Sick of me already?" Sydney asked teasingly

"How do I answer that without loosing my job?" Nigel replied, giving Sydney the glimpse of a cheeky grin before schooling his expression back to mock seriousness.

"Oh just try Bucko, just try."

Their light banter was interrupted by Preston's entrance into the living room of the Bailey residence.

"Nigel! By God man, are you ok? The hunt, you..." He stopped abruptly, only now registering Sydney's presence.

"Sydney! I didn't know you were coming."

"It was last minute. I thought I'd take a day or two off for a vacation of my own." **Not to mention I was sick of being separated from Nigel. **

"Has Nigel told you…?"

"About the special dinner Mrs. Brown makes? No I haven't Preston."

"Oh yes, Of course. Its very good." **Ok that was weird. These two are hiding something. Whets going on? Why was Preston suddenly so concerned about their hunt? Did he want the relic too? No, that wasn't it. But what else could it be? **Before Sydney could voice any of her concerns, Preston pressed on.

"Nigel, can I have a word" With that, he grabbed Nigel into one of the many rooms in the mansion.

Sydney, fed up from not being in the loop, dove towards the closed door to listen to the conversation. Unfortunately she couldn't make anything out but a few scattered words.

"Nigel you can't…yourself"

"Its my Bloody life"

"Its not……..tell her"

"…..I can't…….don't…..please"

Then suddenly Preston's voice rose. "You're my baby Brother Nigel! This is too dangerous. I won't…"

"Shut up, not so loud!"

"I don't care. I'm telling her…" Sydney slid away from the door, expecting Preston to storm out the door. But she nothing happened. She only heard a muffled response from Nigel, and then everything was quiet. After a few minutes, both brothers emerged from behind the closed doors. Sydney could make out tear tracks on Preston's face, but both brothers pretended as though everything was normal.

"Ok boys, enough is enough. Spill! What's going on here?"

"Nothing" replied both brothers in unison.

"Nigel, stop lying to me. I'm not buying it this time. Whets wrong?"

Just as Nigel was about to go for another round of denial, there was another interruption in the conversation. This time however, it was in the form of a man stepping in the middling of the room with a gun in his hands.

"Sorry to spoil the party, but I believe Ms Fox has my relic."

"Mourice." Sydney snarled.

"Nice to see you too. Now, the relic please."

"Hey! You can't just waltz in here…"

"Shut it Prinston. This isn't about you."

"Its my bloody house…"

"I don't have the time for this" sighed the thug, as he grabbed hold of Nigel, who was the closest. Putting the gun to his temple, he nodded to the relic.

Give me the relic or he dies."

"Don't do it Sydney!" This surprised Sydney. Normally Nigel would squeal for help and urge her to help. What brought on this sudden bravery?

"Not much of a choice." Said Sydney, slowly handing the relic to Mourice.

"No Syd, you're making a mistake!"

"Shut up pretty boy!" Mourice snarled, n quickly slung the bow behind his back and took hold of his hostage once again.

"Hey! You have what you need. Now let him go!"

"Not so fast pretty lady. He's going to ensure that I get out of here safe and sound. You make any smart moves and he dies." With that he dragged Nigel out the door with him. As soon as he left, Preston ran to the phone to call the police.

"I'm going after him. Tell the police to get here as soon as you can" Sydney ordered as she ran out the door to follow her enemy.

Sydney followed Mourice and Nigel all the way up to the outskirts of the City, to an old unused train station. From her vantage point, behind the bushes, she could see Nigel, tied to a pole struggling to free himself. There were more than a few men surrounding him, including Mourice. It appeared that rival relic hunter was about to broker a deal with these goons which involved a heft price for the bow. Thankfully though, none of the men were paying attention to Nigel and were busy working out the details. Sydney decided to take the opportunity to sneak up and free her best friend and assistant. Nigel held his breath as he noticed Sydney edging towards him. He did not want her to risk her life for him this time around, but it seemed that, that was the only way to get himself and the relic out of Mourice's hands.

Just as Sydney reached Nigel however, Mourice turned around and caught the pair in the act.

"Ah Sydney. You disappoint me. I told you, your boy-toy would be alright if you just let me finish my job! But you never listen. Now you pay" He snarled as he pointed his gun at Nigel and released the bullet. Simultaneously, Sydney jumped towards Nigel, blocking his body with her own. As the gunshot rang in the air. All that could be heard was Nigel's violent scream as his best friend and one and only true love took the bullet that was meant for him on herself. In a surge of rage and anger, Nigel broke free from his bonds and flung himself towards Mourice. Loosing his balance, Mourice sprayed bullets in every direction, taking out his own men in the process. Then as he fell to the floor, Nigel grabbed his gun and repeatedly smashed it on the assassin's face, till the man lost conscience. It was only till Nigel heard Sydney moan, that he realized that she was still alive.

However, when he ran back to her side, he could see that she was unconscious and was bleeding from her shoulder. Still pumped with adrenalin and fear, Nigel howled Sydney on his shoulder like she had done for him only hours ago, he made his way towards the nearest car.

Nigel was driving like a maniac; there were no two ways about it. The normally careful and law abiding Englishman was crusading past the streets of London as though the demon himself was on his tail. His hands were shaking so hard that he wasn't able to maneuver the steering properly. The fear for Sydney's life and his own exhaustion were not allowing him to think clearly.

"God Syd, wake up please! I can't do this without you. You weren't the one who was supposed to die on this hunt. I'm not allowing you to die before me. That was my privilege. You hear me? That was my honor. To die in your arms!"

"What?" Came the shocked reply from the formerly unconscious Sydney Fox.

"You're awake? My God! You ok?

"What did you just say Nigel? What do you mean you were supposed to die?"

"We'll talk about it when we get to the hospital ok Syd. Go back to sleep"

"I'm not a child Nigel! Tell me!" Sydney screamed. Hysterical at the idea that something terrible was being hidden from her. "Pull over right now Nigel. Or I swear I'll do something that will both hurt you and me."

Nigel sighed, too afraid to face the music right now. However, he obediently pulled over at the curb.

"Tell me."

"Urm…ok…I….I found out after a few days of arriving in London. I collapsed at in a library and was taken to the hospital. There I found out that I had developed an incurable heart Ailment. I….I stayed there because Preston insisted on getting all the tests done and seeing if anything could be done." Nigel lowered his head before continuing. "Its over Syd. It really is quite a rare ailment and there's no cure for it. I only have a few more days to go. I just wanted them to be normal, so I didn't tell you."

"Normal? You wanted your days to be spent hiding the mother of all secrets from your best friend? You thought it was just OK to go on a hunt with a bloody heart problem and expect to live through it? What if something would have happened to you during a hunt? Do you know what would have done to me?" Sydney screamed, in absolute fury. She couldn't believe this was happening. The only man she had ever cared about in the whole world was dying and she couldn't do anything about it. She wanted to scream, throw something and cry like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm sorry Syd. I didn't ant to deal with it. I didn't mean to hurt you.' Nigel replied. Pulling Sydney into an embrace. "I'm so sorry!"

Both friends and soul mates shook slightly with the weight of the moment baring down on them and causing the tears to fall. They sat there for a few minutes.

Nigel was the first to recover, only upon remembering that his Sydney was still in pain and needed medical attention. Slowly pulling away, lay Sydney back against the passenger seat. "We'll talk about this later Syd. For now, we have to get going." With that, Sydney fell back into unconsciousness, unable to deal with the physical and mental pain that was gripping every part of her body and soul.

Disorientation gripped Sydney when she finally broke free from the stupor of medically induced sleep. Then as memory slowly returned to her abused sense, did she realize that she was in a hospital in London. Her first instinct was to look for Nigel, but he was no where in sight. He heart racing at the thought of his absence, made her sit up suddenly, desperate to catch sight of her friend.

"Sydney! You're awake!" Cried Claudia as she entered the private ward.

"Claudia, where's Nigel?" Claude's concerned features morphed into those of despair.

"He…he'll be here…"

'Claudia!" Sydney warned, not wanting to hear another round of lies.

Claudia fell silent for a minute and then slowly walked closer to Sydney's bed.

"He's here at the hospital Syd. They've put him in the cardiac ward. After he brought you in, he collapsed in the middle of the hallway. The doctors say that he went into arrest twice last night. He's stable now. But…" Tears started falling as Claudia continued. "It doesn't look too good." This was enough information to get Sydney off the bed. "I have to see him."

"What are you doing? You were shot!"

"Yes in my arm, not my legs. I have to see him right now!"

With that Sydney stormed out of the room, biting down the nausea and pain that was making her dizzy.

Soon, Claudia joined her boss as the two women slowly made their way to the cardiac ward.

There, Nigel lay, as pale as the sheets beneath him. Sydney couldn't breathe. She didn't know what to do. She had saved countless lives, found thousands of relics and had million of contacts at her disposal but she couldn't do anything to save her one and only true love. Tears once again clouded her vision as she started at the most amazing man she had ever met, through the observation window. How would she survive without him? What would she do with herself? She couldn't even go three weeks without seeing him, how would she live the rest of her life? She needed him; he was the best thing to ever happen to her. He was the only person who could make her day just by smiling at her. He challenged her, supported her, saved her, respected her and loved her like no other human being could. It was true, she had never noticed it before but it was as clear as day now. She loved him, but he loved her many times more. Much more than she deserved. And now, he was lying there, fighting for his life and she couldn't even bring herself to be in the same room with him.

Willing herself to gather her wits, Sydney pushed the observation door open and walked in to stand beside Nigel's bed. Talking hold of his seemingly lifeless hand, Sydney broke down and sobbed like she had never done before.

"Don't cry Syd. It doesn't suit you." Came the weak yet familiar voice from the man to whom Sydney Fox's heart belonged. Looking up, she saw tender hazel eyes staring at her, with nothing but absolute love in them.

"Nigel…"

"Its ok Syd. Everything's going to be fine" He soothed, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

"That's supposed to be my line" Sydney replied, trying to hide her grief behind their banter.

"I'm not the one falling apart. I mean I am, but not mentally anyway."

"I….I…" Sydney couldn't keep it up any longer. Her breath was caught in her thread as she began to cry once again. "Nigel, I can't do this."

"Yes you can. You're my Sydney Fox. You can do anything."

"Not this. Nigel, I can't go on…"

"Don't say that Sydney. I know I never told you this but I have loved you from the first day I met you. And if this has to happen, then I want nothing mote in this world, than to be able to go before you. I want to know that you're still going to be the vibrant Sydney Fox, even after I'm gone, just the way I love you."

"I can't make that promise Nigel. I'm not as strong as you think I am"

"You are!" Nigel cried, determined to get through to Sydney. "You're much stronger than you think. You'll be fine. Promise me!"

"I…" Nigel could feel his strength leaving him

"Please Syd? That's all I'm asking of you. Promise me you'll be happy."

Burying her face in his hand to stop the tears from falling, she whispered

"I promise I'll try."

"That's good enough for me." Nigel breathed heavily, fighting the pull of unconsciousness.

"Nigel. Don't! I love you! Don't leave me!"

"I can't even if I tried love" said Nigel, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips as he finally gave into the temptation and let darkness take over him.

From that day onwards, something was missing in the lives of everyone Nigel Bailey had touched, but most of all, for Sydney Fox Bailey.


End file.
